Dear Editor,
TELL me which country, in any jurisdiction, in whatever year, in which its leader of the parliamentary opposition would have calculatedly repudiated a pre-election procedure of house-to-house registration, and in the process ordering its supporters not to register for national elections – Guyana. Further, Editor, explain which country, in which a legally-sanctioned exercise of a house-to-house prerequisite that had always been the electoral bedrock of the above-named political opposition party, would have been challenged in the court as unconstitutional. Again, the answer is Guyana.

Surely, for such a shocking about-face, and in support of its dubious and sinister rejection, one man, the leader of the political opposition had been able to commit again, another political treachery; or rather, a hoax on sections of the nation: His constituents.

How can such a dishonesty that would have caused thousands of opposition supporters not to have been registered, be allowed to be perpetrated by their leader, can only be explained by a continuous failure of party supporters to ask serious questions of their leadership. Are these people really serious about their participation in the democratic process of their country? Their actions have clearly been that of supporting an illegal action by their leader

This was a political dysfunctionality, which has backfired on Bharat Jagdeo, that has resulted in him now having to appeal “…Jagdeo now urges all Guyanese to ensure they are registered and on the voters’ list for upcoming election”, News Source dated October 24, 2019. It now seems apparent that he has awoken to the reality “…that the right to vote I a serious issue.”

This appeal to ‘’all Guyanese’’ is a veneer that now pretends responsible constitutional behavior, that is incumbent on any official leader of a political opposition. Instead, it is really a call to its supporters for them to be part of a, electoral process which, as alluded above, has been the Holy Grail of their party’s national electoral practice. In making such a call, one suspects the worry by Jagdeo that many of his supporters may not be included in this final journey for citizens’ poll readiness.

But, one must refer to part of Jagdeo’s statement’…elections are not about what goes on behind closed doors at the Commission since that is for the Commissioners and the Head of GECOM to deal with.’’
Exactly what is Jagdeo seeking to convey about the work and functions of GECOM is best understood by his known predilection for misinforming the Guyanese public.

Of course, GECOM’s functions primarily involves the Commissioners and its chairperson, and are principally about national elections, its preparations, and of course, its credibility. It is the raison d’etre of any such body, and not about any other business that is extraneous to its constitutional existence.

In fact, for Jagdeo’s guidance and a reminder, no national electoral body is worth its constitutional value if it cannot function in an entirely independent manner, and without political interference, such as his and cabal attempts to intrude and bully GECOM into making decisions of a partisan and subversive nature inimical to the democratic process.

Regards,
Earl Hamilton